איפה הכפיים!!????

On Thursday night, I went to the volunteering evening event at Shalva with Meir. All of the National Service girls were there and they were screaming and singing in Hebrew, and there was a creepy photographer who took a picture of me while I was pantomiming "blink," and I met this nice girl named Sara who made alliyah with her family from New York 7 years ago when she was ten. It was a really intimidating experience because we got a lecture on volunteering rules all in Hebrew, and a guidelines sheet in Hebrew, and we played an ice breaker in Hebrew, and we went around the room and spoke in Hebrew. I was glad to have Meir there to translate, and it was nice to meet Sara, and I saw one of the volunteers I worked with a few weeks ago and he remembered my name but I didn't remember his name and it was kind of awkward, but nice. We left the event early because it was going to go so late, and the trip home from Shalva takes a long time. It was one of the best decisions I'd made all week.

On Friday morning, we set off for ירוחם!!!! It took two hours on the coach bus, and I slept on Seffi's shoulder the entire time. I went to sleep to the sights and sounds of downtown Jerusalem and woke up to an endless stretch of desert mountains and blue skies. The first place we visited upon arrival was a surprising treat-a LAKE!! Yes, there is a lake, developed by the Ministry of the Interior a few decades back by redirecting several desert streams to this one place. JNF monopolized on the water resources there and planted a forest. We picnicked there, and I took a nice walk with Becky down to the lake and we stood on the boardwalk for a while and admired the oasis. There were three big donkeys and lots of stray dogs and it all felt very alive. We saw a lot of boys on trick motorcycles and four wheelers racing around and it was a little scary and annoying. Our Yerucham liaison took us on a little tour after lunch down to the lake to give us some history, and to a well that most people believe is the well that Hagar found after an angel spoke to her when she had been cast out of Abraham's home and into the desert around Be'er Sheva. It's pretty cool that Yerucham has biblical history. I'm a fan.

After this little tour, we went to the hostel, got our rooms, and prepared for Shabbat. We lit Channukah candles and Shabbat candles and davened Kabbalat Shabbat in the bomb shelter, where we ate dinner as well. Everything was beautiful and lovely, and it was so amazing to see all forty Channukiot lit together. The meal sucked pretty hardcore though, which was a disappointment, and unfortunately it began a trend that continued the rest of the weekend.

After dinner, a lady came to speak to us about the purpose of volunteering in Yerucham and she was pretty crazy. The truth is that she seemed like a really incredible person, a do-gooder and stuff like that, but she was just nuts. It was hard to listen to her for a long time, and she talked for a long ass time.

Then a Chassidic rabbi came to lead our tisch. I was highly disappointed that no Marzipan or sufganiot were available at the tisch, and it was rather difficult for me to get in the proper Friday night mindset without such sweets. Anyway, the Chassid was really quite interesting and strange, and he told us lots of semi-mystical Shabbos stories, and a led a few songs. It was a great experience I think, and he seemed like a really nice man. He didn't look at us with judging eyes when boys' and girls' legs touched each other because of the way we sat, and he didn't seem to mind that we weren't wearing everything short of a burka.

I read a lil CITR before beddy and we had a little pillow talk in my room. Before everyone came home though, I thought I had such a great idea-I would take the first shower! I never get the first shower in my room at Beit Nativ, but it seemed like my dream would finally come true. The shower was a disaster. There was no place to hang up the shower head, there was no plug for the tub drain, there was no door, there was no soap, there was no towel. I hated everything. David came to the rescue and provided me with his semi-wet towel, and a little bit of soap. I improvised and used the hand washing cup (which they have in the bathroom, but forget about soap, that's for heathens) to plug the bath, and I took a half bath/half shower kind of thing. It was terrible. I was not clean afterward. Then, the icing on the cake: I stepped out of the shower into two inches of water on the bathroom floor. I spent a good forty five minutes squeegeeing (wow-I totally did not expect that word to be recognized by spell check!) the disgusting bathroom tiled floor. I gave up on the towel because it was still too wet, and I was generally cold and uncomfortable. I thought the water level would never go down. The worst was when a bit of water slipped out under the door and into the main room. It was such a fiasco. I'm still scarred.

The next morning, we got up early for breakfast but there was no breakfast. Luckily I wasn't hungry, but otherwise I would have probably thrown a hissy fit and had fun doing it. We got really lost on the way to shul, which is funny because it's Yerucham and you can see one end of the town from the other, and once we got to shul, it was already the end of the Torah service. The shul was beautiful...on the men's side. I liked it though, and I could see enjoying it a lot more once we are part of the community and we have host families there and all that. Fun Yerucham fact: there are 27 synagogues in Yerucham, most of them small congregations established to honor a rabbi back home in Morocco.

We had a little study session on Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) after lunch, with a much more normal lady. I learned a little bit and enjoyed it kind of, but I was hungry by that point and everyone was pretty cranky. Sometimes study sessions feel like pulling teeth when no one wants to participate.

Lunch was a nice reward after a long and somewhat tense morning for the group. I got through about four pages of CITR after lunch before my Shabbos nap took over. We all woke up for another tour of Yerucham, which started to get a little comical because there is one main street and we'd been on it several times that day. We saw a lot of cool stuff though, like a hugeeee playground and work out park, a monument, a few schools, an example of one of our living spaces (apartments) next semester, and lots of stray dogs. Fun Yerucham fact: population=9,500.

We got back to the hostel in time for some Ma'ariv, Havdalah, and Channukah celebrations. We have gotten really good at singing Al HaNissim. It really gets us going, I have to say. Channukah is fun, even without the snow.

On Saturday night, we went to a performance at the community center. The theatre was state of the art and everything was really nice. The music was Indian, because there are lots of second and third generation Indians living in Yerucham and neighboring Dimona. There were even little girls who did Indian dancing for us. They were beautiful. During intermission, I ran into a big group of them in the bathroom and tried to speak to them in Hebrew and get basic biographical information from them. They were all really skinny and small for their ages, and I was surprised, especially because they had mature and beautiful faces, and they were doing mature dance moves. I was talking to them when Razie came in, and they were all instantly enamored by her. One of them actually asked me how to say "you...beautiful?" and then once I supplied her with the "are," she tapped Razie on the shoulder and said "you are beautiful." I was insulted, to say the least! Damn underdeveloped and underfed skanky Indian dancers.

I will continue after Talmud...but I promise actually after Talmud this time

I CAUGHT A FOOTBALL PART II

I will tell you the story of my week just for continuity, but know that the real purpose of this blog is in the title.

On Sunday, I woke up early to go to breakfast a Prima Kings with Daddy. I had a great omelet, which was quite the treat (!!) but I wasn't feeling quite up to par so I couldn't fully enjoy it. I went back to sleep after breakfast, and then I beasted out a 5 page paper for Art History, right before Art History! It was the closest I've come in my academic career as far as long term projects go, but everything was done in time, and I think it went well. Kind of thrilling, actually.

Art History was semi-fun, as usual. Then I ran home because I am the star of the IC promotional video for Nativ!! I am starring as Dvora the Explora and Aaron is my co-star, Boots! It has been quite a production and the planning committee did a ton of work for it. Sunday night was fun because we filmed an intro scene, a scene at NBA (Daddy came to NBA and it was a great night!), and I got a quick pizza dinner with Dad complete with hot chocolate and cookies!

On Monday, I had the usual full day of school, and we filmed during my break between classes. It is crazy being a celebrity! We did a lot of scenes and I think it's going to be really worth it. After school, I rushed home so I could get dinner with Daddy at Restobar, which turned out not to be kosher, so we just ate vegetarian. It was pouring rain out for quite a while on Monday, but it didn't bring me down because I was so excited for...

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WAS A HUGE SUCCESS! We shut out (I just learned this term, apparently it means we didn't let them score even once!) the other team and scored 38 points, I think. This was, miraculously, partly my responsibility. When I was playing offense, I caught a ball and completed a play. The next time I was playing offense, I got a ball and completed a play, only I was coincidentally in the end zone at the time!! It was right after a touchdown by Jarren, affectionately known as Chocolate Thunder (a nick name which I hear she has approved, otherwise I wouldn't cite it in the blog), so it counted as an extra point! I am pretty sure this is my first objectively scored point in my entire athletic career, since skating is always subjective, no matter what they say. It was easily the most exhilarating moment of Nativ so far, and that is saying a lot! I was so excited! And everyone was surprised by how little I sucked at football! It was great. I can't even tell you. Great. And my Dad was there to see it!

Not sure if I mentioned this in my last post, but I started reading Catcher in the Rye on Friday night, and I loooving it. Supposedly the world is broken into two groups of people-those who love it and those who don't, and I am happy to say that so far I am a lover. I haven't read that far into it yet, but what I have read has cracked me up. Funny goddamn stuff in there.

If you missed it, I just made a joke. If you missed it, it probably means that you haven't read CITR in a while.

Anyhow, I went to school on Tuesday morning even though I was feeling under the weather, and then we filmed after school, and then I had to say good bye to my dad. It was a bummer that he was leaving, but I couldn't even devote much time to that fact because my celebrity lifestyle was so packed! We filmed on Ben Yehuda at Ulpan, at Beit Midrash for Yeshiva, and around Beit Nativ. It was intense. Then I ran to the bus stop so I could go to Shalva. I volunteered in the pool at Shalva this time, and I got to help with water therapy! It was incredible, really incredible. I have to say, I got a little emotional watching the girls walk in the water who are bound to a wheelchair on land. The woman I was working under said that she wishes those girls could just live in the water. They have so much freedom and it makes them so happy!

It felt great when the kids hugged me and talked to me (the staff speaks English but the kids speak Hebrew, so I am learning a lot from them!), and I feel more natural and comfortable in the water with them. I don't feel like I will break them if I pick them up or pull them around the pool at all. I am so happy that this volunteer position presented itself!

Tuesday night, I had dinner at home after a long bus ride home. Then we made Channukiot at Erev Nativ, and they actually had such great craft supplies! I was expecting the wood plank and bolts get up, but instead they had gorgeous tiles and materials for us to use! It was very therapeutic to do a crafts project as well. I will post pics on facebook soon of my Channukiah. After we were all done, there were extra supplies so I made a sign for room 611, the Pirates' Cove. It is by far the best skull and crossbones I have ever depicted. I also put the skull and crossbones on a weathered and waving flag, with serif lettering around the sign indicating the room number and roommateys. I really outdid myself, everyone agrees.

Then we filmed the finale for the promo video and Adam put me on his shoulders and there was a mosh pit and I was exuberant! I think everyone at IC will think that Nativ is the most uber fun gap year program ever!!!! Because it is!

Wednesday was a long day of classes again, and I have to say, I wasn't particularly engaged in my classes. We had to leave early from our last class because there was a rally protesting the settlement freeze right outside Beit Nativ so the roads were closed so the buses changed routes and then we had to walk!! It was super exciting though, and there was a concert, and even though it was weird that the settlers were comparing themselves to the Hasmoneans who were fighting the man (in that case, Antiochus, and in this case, the Israeli government), it was quite the party going on. While the rally was raging outside, I went to my last Jewish Educator Training class. We learned a lot and it was fun as usual, but at the end we did an unusually funny dating game skit about the different groups that were players in the Second Temple Period. We had sufganiot, which I instantly regretted, to finish up. I am sad the class is over because I think that Mark Lazar is such an amazing resource (he was our teacher). I am going to try to stay in contact with him, maybe, because I am sure I will need his help in the future!

After JET, it was time for beer pong! Everyone turned out and it was a party! It was at my favorite bar, the one with the bookshelves, and I danced the whole night. I also like that bar because they don't make you feel guilty about just ordering water, and they gave me napkins when I needed to go to the bathroom. I didn't feel well on the walk home, probably due to my absurdly sugary diet that day, but a shower and a little pita and a little mineral water perked me up.

I woke up in time for breakfast today, which was a good call because I got to spend most of the day doing research for my Talmud paper on dreams (a comparative analysis of Freudian and Talmudic dream interpretation...pretty bamf if I say so myself), and it was so like a treasure hunt and I was thrilled whenever I found an applicable chapter. I was running around making copies and reading Hebrew and looking things up in big books on tall shelves and I WAS HERMIONE ONLY JEWISH!!!! Heaven.

I ran to get Channukah candles today and ran into Judah on the way and we had a nice little walk around town. Now I am about to head out to a volunteer event at Shalva, but I am bummed about this post because I swear my thoughts were more interesting while everything was going on, and I just sound ditzy in this post, but what are you going to do. Such is life.

Such is life is a shout out to someone who doesn't read my blog. I don't actually say that.

Happy Days

Wednesday night, I ran from the bus stop to Prima Kings and up to the hotel room where my daddy was staying. We walked around the neighborhood and ended up at a really nice little Italian restaurant with delicious food! Then we visited my friends, who were all at Herzl, playing beer pong. After getting introduced to all the Nativers in their natural state, Dad and I walked through Mamilla to the Old City and ended at the Kotel. We walked home when it started getting late.

While I was getting ready for my shower, my roommates came home from beer pong. Debbie kept me company by sitting on the (closed) toilet seat while I was showering and we chatted away. When I emerged from the bathroom in my Lion King towel, I was greeted by a chorus of Happy Birthday, balloons, banners, and my best friends holding a cake! We all dug into the chocolate mousse and I was so surprised and happy and grateful. It was perfect!!!

I woke up late on Thursday and went to the hotel to pick up Dad. Together, we took the 4 to the mall, where we got kosher fast food (I haven't had chicken nuggets like that in sooo long and it was amaaazing) and then we asked around for directions to the zoo. Dad, predictably, was drawn to the natural food store and luckily someone knew how to walk there. So we walked. It took a long time though, and I was slightly nervous about the vague directions.

We arrived finally, though, and the zoo turned out to be incredible! Lions, tigers, bears...you name it. Elephants, ostriches, zebras, deer, leopards, tropical birds, tapirs, red pandas, chimps, lemurs, monkeys, rhinos. There was even a petting zoo with sheep, alpacas, and GOATS! If you've read my facebook profile, you know that I LOVE GOATS! Like so much. So I pet them and took pics with them and talked to them. It was great.

We got bored of waiting for the bus home and took a taxi. The taxi driver was super pushy and really wanted to take us to the Dead Sea instead of Rehavia. We made it home in one piece fortunately, and I had dinner at home with Nativ. Then Ariella came with me on a spur of the moment dessert run with my dad, and it was great because they had some common interests, so to speak. Also, dessert at Cup of Joe was really yummy and quite a treat!

After dessert, everyone in the building was in a frenzy to prepare for the best night ever. We got dressed to the hilt and all the girls helped me cover up my chin which was home to, unsurprisingly, the most disgusting pimple on the face of the earth that I had been repeatedly picking to the point of bleeding for the last two days. The night started with a trip to Zolli's, a bar that I often sit at with a soda and popcorn, but on that night, I had a Sexy Lady to drink and even though it was a pink slushy and had next to no alcohol content, it was very exciting for everyone that I was having a drink. We got a happy hour special so I was able to get another one for free, but I gave up on it about a quarter of the way through and donated it to the thirsty friends at the table. Then we started taking lots of pictures since we are all very beautiful people and wanted to preserve our youthful radiance for eternity.

Adina, who is bff with the bar manager or something named Leo, struck a deal so we all got into an adjacent dance club, called Fusion, for free. Fusion is really great because the creepers don't come out until later so it was as if Nativ had rented out the whole club for hours! Everyone came out and we were all dancing all over, sitting on the zebra print booths, partying up on the bar, and generally creating magnificent mayhem. The club got uncomfortably crowded later at night and I decided to leave on a high note instead of getting smushed in an uncomfortable creepy Israeli sandwich on the dance floor.

It was the best birthday ever!!!

Friday was in great contrast to the best birthday ever, since we had to get up rull rull early for classssssss. It sucked. We had double period Hebrew starting at 8:30!! Who could have ever invented such a cruel and unusual punishment? The good news out of all of it is that we have really baller Hebrew teachers and then we got to watch Sallach Shabati, a really funny satire about Oriental Jews who moved to Israel in the 50's and had to live in really miserable temporary camps.

When I got home from class, I took Daddy on a walk to the shuk and around the shopping area. We got him Shabbat clothes and I got some shuk gummies. The shuk was its usual state of craziness on Friday afternoon, but I was too exhausted to deal with it and we didn't spend too much time there.

Shabbat was here before we knew it, and then it was time for shul. I went with Shosh, Seth, David, Debbie, Debbie's parents, Adina, Debbie, and Rachel to Kol Rina. It was my first time at the famed bomb shelter synagogue, and it was pretty cool. I think I was too tired to really get into it. It was interesting to see the mix of Jewish denominations present, ranging from black hats to multi colored kipot. I like the melodies a lot, but it got long. We walked home in the chilly evening weather to have dinner in -3, which was quite an exciting change of venue. I said good bye to Daddy, went to the tisch for a bit, read a lil Catcher in the Rye, and positively collapsed in my bed.

I was asleep until 11 am this morning, despite the alarm that went off at 8:30 and I kept resetting to go off every fifteen minutes. I read a little for school and then it was lunch time. We had a nice lunch with Debbie and her parents, and then Dad and I walked around Jerusalem for two hours. We literally walked everywhereeee. But it was great. Then I got home, read for Art History a really long and pointless article that continually repeated "on the one hand, on the other hand" unnecessarily, and then I went to Seudah Shlishit, Maariv, and Havdalah. Now I am blogging and getting ready for a night of dinner, dessert, and Art History homework.

Shavua tov m'od!

Allow me to relieve your suspense, readers.

I am sorry that so much time has gone by since my last Talmud class ended and I promised I would continue my last post. To finish the story of the best weekend ever:

I sat in the sun for a little bit with Josh's parents after swimming while Josh and his brothers stayed in the pool. Then I took a really incredible six-shower-head shower that lasted way longer than it should have. We redressed in Shabbat clothes and headed to the Executive Lounge on the top floor before going to lunch. The Executive Lounge provided an incredible view of both the Old City and downtown, and we munched on really delicious miniature items.

We went to lunch and it was so wonderful, even though I had probably munched on too many miniature delicious items to truly take advantage of everything the buffet had to offer. We sat for a while and had a really lovely Shabbat afternoon.

Before walking home, I stopped off at מלון ממיללה , the hotel where Debbie's parents were staying, asked really nicely until the clerk told me their room number, and knocked to see if the family was in. I found out later at dinner that I had missed them by half an hour, but it was still a fun adventure, and it gave me an excuse to check out another really beautiful hotel in Jerusalem.

I went home, finished A Thousand Splendid Suns, cried for humanity, and went to daven Ma'ariv and Havdalah. Then I rushed home because so many fun things were about to occur!

First, I attended SUCH A BIG AND LEGIT RALLY! The protest was against Haredim taking over Jerusalem. I don't claim to explain this well, but the basic idea, I think, is that the Haredim expect religious observance in Jerusalem to be held at the highest level, as opposed to the lowest common denominator. For example, the Intel company has a huge and successful and lucrative plant in Jerusalem, but people are given the option there to work on Saturdays, and the Haredim protest this. Also, a woman was recently arrested at the Kotel for wrapping her tallis around a Torah, or something like that, because the head rabbi of the Kotel freaked out. People worry about was is next and how many areas of life the Haredim will try to control. So thousands of people met right outside Beit Nativ for speeches, and we wore shirts and held signs, and then we walked to Kikar Tzion together. It was really amazing to be part of such a huge, organized, and significant event.

I left the walk a bit early to get to dinner with Debbie, her parents, Adina, Ariella, Ilana, Shara, Laura, and Sophie. We went to Noya, which I always see from the 19 Bus and dream about but never thought I would actually enter. It looks so warm and inviting and expensive and classy from the outside! And that's pretty much the story on the inside, too, actually. The meal was incredible, especially because of the company. My favorite part was definitely the tomato soup, and not the fancy chicken fettucini or elegant desserts, but what can I do? I am a boring eater. Still, the whole thing was really a perfect evening with girlfriends and parents and love all around.

After the Shabbat of Eating Well, I dragged Meir on a walk to burn off a little bit of what I had eaten. We wanted to get lost, which proved difficult since we both have good senses of direction, but we ended up in some really cool places that we usually don't see, like the President's Residence (which rhymes, which is exciting, and ought to be read out loud), the Jerusalem Theatre (which I learned about in Art History because it's in the Canaanite style of the 1930's, designed by Shemi in 1981), and some really beautiful old houses in Rehavia, a neighborhood commissioned by the British in the early 1920's for the elite of Jerusalem.

On Sunday, I was determined to get up early and work on my homework, but I just couldn't punish myself like that. I worked a little bit but mostly did other fun things, and then Shara and I went to school early for a dairy date at Frank Sinatra. Then Art History (which I just found out is baby Art History and not actual Art History because we only needed to memorize 15 slides for the midterm, instead of 700 like in real college) ended 15 minutes early and it was so agreeable (Louise <3)!!!

I went to Beit Midrash on Sunday night to eat pizza and study with Yonina. I adore her. She says "sirius" instead of "seerious" just like Ayelet!!! Speaking of which, this reminds me of something that Teeny wrote in her letter to me which I think is very true, and I experience often: In my daily life, I have so much fun, experience so much happiness, and have such wonderful friends that the pang of separation from my life at home is non existent. But then, in one moment, something will trigger a memory of someone or something I love from home and the pain of missing that person or thing is physical and sharp. I feel this way whenever I hear Yonina say a word like Ayelet, or when The Format comes on my iPod, or when the air outside smells, for a second, like the crisp and sweet cold air of fall in Rochester. Sometimes the combination of honks and car exhaust makes me yearn for the busy streets of New York City, and the academic quad at the Hebrew U campus at Givat Ram makes me dream of bustling about at Cornell next year. It seems my senses will never cease betraying my heart like this.

Monday was a usual day at school, and then I worked on my paper after school, and then I went to a really super duper uber fun football practice, during which I caught many of the balls thrown to me! It was a celebration.

On Tuesday, I had an Art History field trip. We took a walking tour of Jerusalem from the Givat Ram campus to Beit Ticho, stopping at JNF, Bezalel, Rehavia homes, בית אבי חי, and a monastery along the way. It really enhanced my appreciation for the buildings and culture in Jerusalem, and I can't wait to annoy everyone with my newfound and obnoxious random information. the only really tragic thing about this trip was the fact that I missed Hebrew, but my Hebrew teacher didn't know I would be missing so she brought in a birthday cake for her birthday and my birthday, which are today and tomorrow, respectively!! Unbelievable! I almost cried, on the inside, but then I didn't because I thought, her generosity is so much more important than the calories. So then I was happy that she thought of my birthday and also happy that I didn't add on to the Shabbat of Eating Well with another delicious dessert.

I busted out my paper on Tuesday afternoon, held an Ultimate Chevruta meeting with my faves, ate a really and surprisingly delicious dinner at Beit Nativ, and then went to Erev Nativ. Erev Nativ was a difficult topic last night because we watched Trembling Before God, a film about Orthodox or Ultra-Orthodox gay people. They were so upset! Some of them tried to change, some of them lived a lie their entire lives, some of them were disowned by their families, and some of them abandoned their faith. It was sad that they didn't believe that they could be both parts of themselves-their gay part and their religious part-all at once and in public, and be accepted. Of course, they were right, because most people in their religious community would shun them for it. I can't imagine believing that you have to change such an important part of yourself that is inseparable from every other part of your identity-in order to properly serve God! After the movie, we studied the Conservative opinion on this, of which there are two. Rabbi Roth says, simply and outrageously abbreviated: gay people are great people but they can't have sex. Rabbi Dorf says, again, abbreviated: it's outrageous to tell anyone to remain celibate and expect them to hold onto halacha; instead, aim for committed monogamous relationships (same goes for unmarried heterosexuals). Both options were a little bit dissatisfying, and both quoted the same verse in the Torah (a man shall not lie with a man as he lies with a woman. It is an abomination), and both left me feeling really sorry for halachic Jews who are also gay. I wish I was more knowledgeable about this issue.

Today has already been quite the day-rumors flying at breakfast, little kids at the guest house eating everything yummy before we got there, a lunch coupon validity termination, and a long ass Hebrew class. I get to turn in my second 10-page college paper today though! That will be fun.

And tonight, when I get home from school, my daddy will be across the street!!!

This Isn't Hyperbole-

It really was the best weekend of my life.

Wednesday night started off with some extra time because Jewish Educator Training didn't meet. I made a really good decision and went running! Then I slapped on some deodorant, fluffed up my hair, put on some heels, and I was ready for Beer Pong! Beer Pong is always fun, and I brought the party camera this week! I got a lot of great pictures and I had so much fun dancing with my friends and watching the competitions. Not only is Herzl a great bar because they have books on the shelves there, or because they let us take over every Wednesday night, but they don't give you dirty looks when you don't order alcohol and ask for water instead! A true mark of a bar that Jordana likes.

I slept in on Thursday and went to Shalva in the afternoon to volunteer. "Shalva provides services to more than 500 participants with special needs, including infants, children, adolescents and young adults via a plethora of tailored programs and round-the-clock therapies, seven days a week. Shalva accompanies the child and his/her family from birth to adulthood. Individual programs are so designed that each participant reaches his/her full potential. By placing an emphasis on social interaction, the special needs child can better integrate into the community." (from the Shalva website http://www.shalva.org/index.aspx). I got a tour from the volunteer coordinator, Talia, who is a really positive human being and a beautiful woman. She placed me with a group of very low functioning children, and I got right to work. I worked with six non-verbal kids and four staff members (some are paid staff members, but most are religious girls doing Sherut Leumi, National Service, in place of military service), from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. We sang songs, played with Challah dough, made Kiddush (because it was the day before Shabbat started, so they have a "Kabbalat Shabbat" before the kids go home), and ate dinner. It was really hard for me to know such little Hebrew because I could not sing along to their songs or understand what the staff members were saying to each other, but I did learn some Hebrew and people were really nice. One of "my" kids actually understands English, although she cannot speak, and most know some hand signs, which I am quickly picking up. They are all extremely cute and lovable, speaking or not, and I was so happy during my time there. I can't wait to go back!

Meir was volunteering there as well on Thursday afternoon, and it was his second time so he was already a pro at getting the bus back home. We were late to Thanksgiving dinner anyway though, and we missed the program before the dinner for all the alumni and current Nativers. I didn't mind being late because my excuse was so good; volunteering is definitely the most meaningful thing I could have done on Thanksgiving. The turkey and pumpkin pie were excellent on Thursday, and I sat with some Nativers and Rabbi Paul Freedman and his wife, whose name escapes me, and it was so special because they started the Nativ program 29 years ago! We went around and said what we were thankful for, and I said the same lame thing as everyone else (family, new and old friends, this year in Israel) because I really was thankful for those things, and I know there are ten million bajillion other things I am also thankful for but in that moment I was only thinking-FAMILY, FRIENDS, ISRAEL! And I even choked up a teensy bit, though not noticeably, because I was so grateful for those three things.

After dinner on Thursday, all the Nativers watched a really funny movie made by a few girls featuring each Nativer saying something about Thanksgiving. There were some really good ones! Everything was really great, and although I hope I don't have to spend another Thanksgiving without any relatives around, I wouldn't have accepted any other substitute besides my Nativ friends this year.

Instead of the traditional weekly exodus to the bars on Thursday night, we decided to take advantage of a free jazz concert at the Southern Wall. It was a great concert that lasted about an hour, and about 15 Nativers came with. The highlight of the band was definitely the soprano sax, which is really an incredibly beautiful instrument. After the concert, a group of us walked out via the ramparts, which is a walk along the top of the Old City Walls (which were built about 400 years ago by the Ottomans, which I find terribly disappointing). There were a lot of really beautiful views and I was glad to be taking advantage of my time here. I walked home from the concert along a scenic route with Judah and Meir, and we climbed on cave rocks and walked through the empty Sultan's Pool (a huge outdoor concert venue) which was a lil sketch at night but very fun. I detoured to Crack Square before returning home, found it as grimy and pointless as usual, and went home for a relatively early night.

On Friday I woke up for lunch and headed out to Mea Shearim with LeeAnn. Mea Shearim (literally, "one hundred gates") is an Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood just past our "shopping district" downtown, and it was about a half hour walk. We dressed modestly, covering our wrists and collar bones. I took a risk and wore billowy pants that kind of look like a skirt, because I figured that if anyone did anything (there are legends of people spitting on women dressed inappropriately) it would at least make a good blog post. It turned out that people were friendly, at least the few women we spoke to, and the store clerks. The men were all running around in black suits and coats and hats. It was a dirty place, and LeeAnn kept saying, "it feels like we are in a different world." There was popcorn at every two stores, and a toy shop was selling a memory card game with rabbis' faces. Every single aspect of life there revolved around religion, and in my opinion, a bastardized interpretation of it. The Haredim reject modernity as corruption, and as a result, their lives are very backward in my eyes. We saw a little boy and a girl playing with each other and LeeAnn said, "oh, they are still at the age when they are allowed to talk to each other." This is outrageous! How can God have intended for boys and girls to not speak to each other? Still, our walk to Mea Shearim was a really great experience. I am amazed that I live so close to a totally different universe than I have ever known.

I took a really excellent pre-Shabbos shower and frummied up (that is, I dressed in more modest clothing than those of you at home have come to know as my style, because I feel comfortable here in longer skirts and high necked shirts). Meir and I walked all the way out to Talpiyot for davening at his friend's house, a Nativ alum who went on the program three years ago and is now attending Hebrew University for the semester. This friend, Josh, was hosting Kabbalat Shabbat services in his living room. We arrived and found a living room full of university age men, and one of them came to greet us. He said they weren't expecting any women, and he looked awkwardly in the direction of an alcove next to the living room. There was a chair in the alcove, and it was safely hidden away from the eyes of the focused davening men on the other side. So I sat by myself during a lovely succession of Mincha, Kab Shab, and Maariv, and I enjoyed myself greatly. I had never been so thankful for a "mechitzah" either, as it shielded me from the socially awkward situation on the other side, gave me some personal time for introspection and prayer, and let everyone in the room feel comfortable in terms of religious observance.

We left pretty much right after services were over and walked a short way (in the really, really brisk weather!) to an apartment where Meir's brother David and David's girlfriend Yael were waiting for us with a delicious Shabbat dinner. It was just the four of us, and the food was great, and we had such a fun time. I didn't want to interview David about his army experiences, but from what he talked about, I learned it is quite amazing how he lives as a soldier in a combat unit. He only gets 30 minutes to make phone calls during the week, on Thursday nights, and he only gets a Shabbat off every two weeks or so. He wasn't even allowed to come to Thanksgiving dinner at Beit Nativ. I can't imagine living that way for three whole years, especially with a girlfriend to miss and a brother here for nine months as well. David and Yael walked us most of the way home, which was really nice of them since it was cold and a long walk, and then we ran into Josh (whose apartment we had visited earlier) and he gave us pumpkin cookies that were so yummy that I am still dreaming about them.

Saturday morning, I walked Aaron and Meir to Yedidya and didn't really feel like praying so I walked by myself to Shira Chadasha where I sat with Sue, Joshy's mommy. We chattered away again, like last week, but this time we got shushed! I didn't want to upset anyone so we stopped talking and just made eye contact every once in a while with the look of admonished children feeling guilty. At kiddush, Josh's family invited me to have lunch with them at their hotel, the David Citadel, and I gratefully accepted, especially once I heard that swimming was part of the deal!

to be continued...after Talmud class : )

I CAUGHT A FOOTBALL AND DEBBIE FOUND FROSTING

This has been a particularly momentous week, and not only because of football and frosting! I am writing this to aid in the procrastination process, though, so I don't want to get too involved in a long post because procrastinating makes me feel a little nauseous and I want to start working soon.

On Friday night, I went with Adina to Yakar and it was beautiful as usual. Judah led Mincha and I nearly jumped out of my skin because he fit in so well with the other leaders at Yakar, down to the accent on ברוך אתה השם and his rhythm and tone. An entire flock of Nativ boys came as well, but there is a mechitzah and we didn't have anything to do with them until after services.

Adina and I walked most of the way home with the Nativers, and then we split off to go to her grandparents' apartment for dinner. It was an amazing experience, and I'm not just saying that because she reads my blog. The apartment was beautiful, and it was incredible to look at Jerusalem from the eleventh floor of a building. The streets below were so peaceful, but also surreal in a way, with no cars driving past and only the occasional pedestrian passing through. A component of spontaneity and fun was added by two random men from Holland, whose unlined faces both looked young but turned out to be father and son. The father was a Calvinist, but he says he doesn't believe in predestination, so I don't know what the point of being a Calvinist is if you're not going to buy into the major tenet of the faith. In fact, if I remember correctly, entire wars were fought in Europe over this Calvinism thing and it makes me a little upset that Calvinists can't even believe in the distinguishing factor. Anyway, his son apparently converted to Judaism while spending a year on Kibbutz Yavneh, one of the more religious קיבוצים. We heard a lot about the Masorti movement in Holland, because the son is a leader in the movement there, and the rest of the dinner conversation focused a lot on The War. This was obviously a watershed moment in Adina's grandfather's life, and it was interesting to have the perspective of an American pilot at the same table as a Calvinist from Holland. Adina's grandmother and another woman at the table compared various escape and survival stories, and the general theme of the evening was as WWII as it gets. Besides the company and conversation, the food was fantastic, and I got to eat broccoli, which is a treat now, and schnitzel and real, not-stale challah, and REALLY REALLY DELICIOUS pareve desserts. It felt later than 8:30, but after a huge meal, we were tired, and we walked home not long afterward.

The next morning, קמתי בשמונה בבוקר והולכת לבית כנסת (I rose at eight in the morning and went to shul). If you haven't noticed by now, אני למדתי לכתב בעברית במחשב!!! (I learned to write in Hebrew on the computer. If I have spelling or grammar mistakes, friends -ie Seffi-, please correct them!! אני רוצה ללמוד!! I want to learn!). I went to Shira Chadasha with the intent of sitting with Sue, Joshy's mom. Josh's family came to visit and they wanted to go to Shira Chadasha because it is a really nice service, but there is a mechitzah and Josh's whole family is comprised of men, except for his mom. It turned out to be an outrageously good time, and the two of us literally chattered away for two and a half hours. We were sure to be quiet and we prayed sometimes if the song was good, and I even skimmed the Torah portion translation, but mainly we just became best friends. It caused quite an uproar at Kiddush, when everyone who had been peeking at us through the cotton mechitzah commented on our ability to entertain each other.

I ate lunch back at בית נתיב (Beit Nativ--a Hebrew palindrome!!!) and read A Thousand Splendid Suns for approximately four hours, taking breaks to study Art History slides and cry (I was crying because of the rape and death in TTS, not because of Art History). I don't want to turn this blog into Oprah's book club, but REALLY! You HAVE to read this book if you care about humanity and war and love and peace and family. It is so well written and gripping and heart breaking, but also funny and hopeful. I haven't finished it yet so don't spoil it for me, but if you have read it, I would love to talk about it with you. It is definitely the kind of thing that you have to think about and process over time, and hopefully I will muster up the strength to read it again a few years down the road. It also really enhances my understanding of the political situation, tumultuous history, and Taliban in Afghanistan.

After Mincha, Seudah shlishit, Ma'ariv, and Havdalah (this would be a great time for me to know how to spell in Hebrew...so I will attempt: מנכה, סודה שלישית, מעריב, והבדלה ), I went with a few Nativers to dinner with Josh's family. What delightful and generous people! I sat with Sue again, and Seth was on my other side. The dinner, needless to say, was טעים מעוד, complete with meaty bruschetta, gourmet kajun chicken, and the most heavenly desserts you could ever dream of. Sue was really supportive of my scaredy cat eating habits, and she encouraged me gently to try different things, and I liked them all! It was also really nice to get to know Joshy's little brothers a bit, because they are all spitting images of each other and it's funny to see differences in their personalities. Josh's dad, a proud Cornell alum, led dinner discussions about politics in Israel and asked us all our opinions about peace negotiations and prisoner exchanges. There was a great atmosphere of respect at the table, whereas in other situations with other fathers I have felt an edge of ageism. Mark was genuinely interested in our opinions and the whole table shared input without judgment. We walked home filled to the brim with love and happiness, and then I was about to turn in for the night when Seth asked me to go out.

We walked to our new favorite bar where Nativers were already sitting at a booth. The bar is called Herzl, which is great to begin with, and the sign of the bar has a stylized version of Moses Ephraim Lilien's photograph of Herzl's profile, which is great because we learned about that image in Art History! Connections!!!! To get to the bar, you have to go up a narrow staircase, and it opens up into a large area with leather booths, a nice oak bar, and BOOKSHELVES!! Of course my favorite bar would have bookshelves, and I checked---they are all real books! There is also a fireplace and it is all just delightful. I love to stand on the balcony looking over the sketchy street below that we used to frequent before we knew about Herzl, and I feel so accomplished and classy knowing that I am not one of those lost and wandering failed party-goers. The night was short though, since Seth and I arrived after most people had already finished their beers or what have you, and I was ready to go home after getting bad news about Cecilia the Automobile of Lurrve, my '94 Toyota Camry.

On Sunday, I had my Art History midterm. I am pretty sure I did well on it, since there were no unseen images so it was just a matter of learning 15 slides and their significance. After school, Joe and I video chatted with Tzafon Region's Fall Kallah, and I was SOOO jealous and I stalked all my friends who were there on facebook. I looooove USYYYYY soooo much. It was nice to get a chance to talk to the region about Nativ though, and I hope that people decide to go! After the vid chat, I went to Beit Midrash and studied with a group of Nativers led by Yonina, my faaaavorite feminist Talmud scholar. I really just adore her spunky personality and quirky teaching style. She says she doesn't want to be a pulpit rabbi, but I would so join her congregation in like a second.

After Beit Midrash, Debbie called me to her room and we ate Betty Crocker chocolate frosting with spoons. She had called me on Saturday night to alert me of her find (I love knowing that my best friends understand and care about what is really important to me!) but I was fleishig and couldn't eat it. We made up for lost time on Sunday and ate until we had that perfect amount of nausea mixed with fullness mixed with happiness feeling in our stomachs.

Monday was a long day at school, and I took my Talmud midterm and I think it was a general success. I took a מונית home with Joshy because he was in a hurry, and then I got ready for football. We played the first team again, and they are pretty butchy and scary, and we lost pretty badly; HOWEVER, I caught a football in the second half!! Granted, I freaked out, nearly dropped it, forgot to run, and was immediately de-flagged, but none of that could get me down (Laura, the world's most supportive and incredible quarterback, actually got mad at me a little bit!). I had the biggest smile on my face when the game was over and we lost by an absurd amount of points (we didn't score at all...) and I was in a state of extreme excitement for the rest of the night. I caught a football!

On Tuesday morning, I woke up feeling dizzy and remained a bit ill for most of the day. I managed to get through Art History and Hebrew, which luckily were my only classes that day, and I went to sleep immediately upon returning home for five hours. I woke up for Chevruta with Adina and Rachel, which was a pleasure as always except for the fact that the sugya didn't light my fire and Josh was missing. We went to dinner at home and then it was time for Erev Nativ (ערב נתיב!!). Yossi told us about current events, mainly focusing on developments in the Gilad Shalit case, which is always difficult to talk about. I hate the thought of 450 of the worst terrorists being released in return for this one life. What about all the people whose relatives were killed by these terrorists? And then I hate that thought, because what about the all important life of Gilad? He is alive, which is a miracle, and a human life is priceless. In a sad way, it makes me feel relieved that other people are in charge of this business and that I don't have the responsibility to make decisions about other people's lives and deaths.

Then we broke into קהילה/קיבוץ (kibbutz/kehila) groups (קבוצות??) and we learned about שירת הסטיקר (?? The Sticker Song) by הדג נחש (Hadag Nachash). The song was written using political bumper stickers found on Israeli cars after the death of Yitzhak Rabin, and it has a leftist slant while still maintaining a nationalist tone. It was a nice program and I am really glad to have a better understanding of a song that I love.

Then I studied with Debbie for our Ulpan (אולפן, אני חושבת) for two hours! I know I wouldn't have studied very well if I didn't have her to tutor, and she said that I helped her out a lot too, so it worked out perfectly! I couldn't keep my eyes open by midnight, which was fine anyway since I had to wake up at 6:30 this morning for services.

I just finished my Ulpan midterm, and it didn't take me very long, so hopefully that isn't a bad thing. I felt very confident, though, and when I was reading a long passage about נחלת שבעה (a neighborhood in Jerusalem), I didn't even translate to English in my head for some parts. It was kind of cool because I felt like I was thinking in Hebrew.

Now it really is time for me to get to researching. להתראות!!!

PS. I just published this post and realized that the Hebrew gets messed up when it drops down a line, for which I apologize, but hopefully you can still understand what I intend to say).

If you like these thoughts and want to hear more...

I have been thinking about a few different things lately that haven't made it into the play-by-play account of my days, so I'm going to take this opportunity to tell you about why I like buses, street signs, and my fully stocked kitchen at home in Rochester.

I like buses here a lot, both intra and inter city. I hate bus terminals, and waiting for them, and being squeezed on them, but there is nothing more magical than the scene that pans out before me when I am seated comfortably by a window, listening to my iPod. The landscapes and illuminated skylines from Haifa to Tel Aviv, the diversity within the neighborhoods of Jerusalem. I feel like I am watching a hundred different previews, just a few frames each, of the movies of other people's lives. For example, on the bus home from Haifa on Saturday night, we stopped to let off a few people and a soldier got off the bus and went to a car. A beautiful (I think, at least-it was dark) young woman was sitting on the hood of the car and as he went to put his stuff in the back seat, she turned around, unsmiling, and flicked him off. This was such a cinematic moment! I imagined what came before and after that moment for the rest of the ride home. Was she mad he was late? that he went to the backseat first to put down his backpack, instead of passionately embracing her upon arrival? Had she learned something about him while he was away that he forgot to mention? All of these ideas delighted me.

I also love street signs. Not only street signs, but any kind of shop awning or billboard announcement or movie poster. The entire country is filled with signs for me to decode and read. Every day I learn another preposition, conjunction, or verb that opens up a whole world of understanding. A big day for me in Ulpan was when we learned about the sounds "ch," "th," "j," and "w," which are all sounds that do not exist in the Hebrew alphabet but are instead marked by apostrophes. With that, I could sound out "Juice Bar" at the bus station, instead of wondering why it was called "Goose Bar," and I'm glad I live next to King George St, instead of King Gorg. I have always loved reading street signs, and I vaguely remember trying to read signs on the highway in kindergarten and first grade while I was still learning English. Now that I get to re-experience this rapid literacy gain with full 18 year old consciousness of thought, I can fully appreciate the power of the language and the miracle of reading. It's not always rainbows and butterflies though, and there are heartbreaking, frustrating times when the bus is driving too fast for me to try every permutation of vowels and "sin" versus "shin" possibilities.

There is another heartbreaking, frustrating thing about my life, and that is that the kitchen outside my room does not have dish towels, a drying rack, a dishwasher, an easily accessible soap dispenser, a feng shui arrangment of fridge/sink/toaster, or a pantry. This is terrible! Who knew that people actually go out and BUY mats to stand on whilst at the counter, or that a paper towel rack doesn't come with the sink? Shouldn't these things be automatic? Apparently they aren't, and I am suffering. SUFFERING! I also don't have a plate, so whenever I make peanut butter and jelly, which happens about six times per week (that, by the way, is not a cause of suffering-I would (and have) eat(en) pb+j for every lunch and dinner for a month straight...and I would like it) I use a plastic bag or a piece of scrap paper upon which to rest my bread (this revised and improved sentence is dedicated to Seffi).

So those are a few of the things that occupy my time when class gets boring or I am forced to close my eyes on the bus as a result of extreme nausea, which may in turn be either the result of outrageous Israeli driving styles, facing backwards in my seat, or a particularly pungent armpit smell.